Blind



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1] W. J. POHLMAN 8v G. YAKEL. AWNING BLIND.

J'. C. GITTINGS,

Patented July 2, 1889.,

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. C. GITTINGS, W. J. POHLMAN & G. YAKEL.

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e we? 5 .9. M mtozmcq UNITED STATES PATENT JAMES C. GITTINGS, \VILLIAM J. POl-ILMAN, AND GEORGE YAKEL, 0F BALTI- MORE, MARYLAND; SAID POHLMAN AND YAKEL ASSIGNORS TO SAID JAMES C. GITTINGS.

AWNING-BLIND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,134, dated July 2, 1889.

Application filed June 23, 1888- Serial No. 278,027. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES C. GITTINGS, WILLIAM J. POHLMAN, and GEORGE YAKEL, all of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented an Improvement in Awning- Blinds, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the draw ings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the improvement of the combined awning and blind shown and described in United States Patent granted to V. H. J olliife, Reissue No.10,798, dated January 18, 1887, to which reference may be had. In the said patent the slats of the blind are joined together by tapes attached to the inner side of the slats at their ends and center, and each slat near its upper edge had attached to it near the tapes three rings, thus forming three vertical rows of rings at the inner side of the blind,'through which rings the actuating-cords and the guides were passed. In practice such construction was found objectionable, owing to the stretching of the tapes, thereby throwing the slats out of their proper relative positions, and also the tapes employed were found to wear very rapidly. With such construction it was impossible to turn the slats to a substantially horizontal position when the blind was entirely or nearly extended.

To overcome these defects, render the blind more durable, easier of operation, and

cheaper in construction is the object of this our invention.

Our invention therefore consists, essen tially, in the combination, with a series of scribed; also, in a combined blind and awn ing, a head-block and a pivoted stretcher-bar, slats intermediate the said head-block and stretcher-bar, and flexible connections therefor, the slats being pivotally suspended at their ends only in said flexible connections, and each slat provided with fasteners extended through and having bearings in the flexible connections and intermediate rings, combined with the lifting-cords attached to the lowermost slat, passed up through said rings, around sheaves on the head-block to convert a blind into an awning, substantially as will be described; also, in the combination, with the slat of a blind and a chain, of a fastener consisting of a metallic strip or wire bent ateach end to form a prong to enter the slat, and also bent to form an eye and leave a projecting neck beyond the slat to enter a link of the chain, the link forming a bearing for the neck.

Other features of our invention will be here inafter pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view from the inner side of a window-frame, showing our improved blind and awning applied thereto raised to a position for use as an awning; Fig. 2, a view of the blind in elevation and partly broken out, also from the inner side of the window, showing on alarger scale some of the details of construction; Fig. 3, a vertical section of Fig. 2 on the line a: no, showing the blind lowered, a portion of the slats being turned and Figs. 4, 5, and 6, details to be referred to.

The Window-frame A is and may be of usual construction, and preferably has'attached to it at the top in any suitable manner the head-block B, (shown in section, Fig. 3,) from which the blind or awning'depends. This blind or awning consists of substantially parallel slats a, of wood or other suitable material, joined to each other but not rigidly. To the end of each slat and near its upper edge is attached the fastener 19, (shown in detail in Fig. 4,) a fastener c, of somewhat different shape, (see Fig. 6,) being attached to the center of the slat. bly made of metal bent over upon itself to The fastener b is prefera form an eye 6, through which a ringis passed, as will be described, the free ends (Z (7. forming clinching-points to enter the slat. and hold the fastener firmly thereon. As shown best in Fig. 4, one portion of the fastener, as f, projects beyond the vertical edge of the slat at right angles thereto, leaving a space between the eye 6 and the edge of the slat, for a purpose to be described. The intermediate fastener 13 at the center of each slat is provided with only one eye 0, through which a ringg is passed, and the clinching-points are preferably in line with each other, as shown in Fig. 6. The portion forming the eye proj ects beyond the edge of the slat, as best shown in Fig. it.

In unusually wide blinds it may be necessary to have two or more of the intermediate fasteners 0 attached to each slat to insure the proper operation of the blind. The fasteners l) of adjacent slats are connected together, preferably by chains 7t 7t, (see Figs. 1 to 3,) extending along each side of the blind or awning, a link of each chain embracing the portion f of the fasteners I) at the ends of each slat, as shown in Fig. 2, and in detail, Fig. 4-, so that each slat is free to turn upon the per tions f as pivots, the links of the chain forming the bearings for the same. As the fasteners b are placed preferably nearer the upper than the lower edge of the slats, the latter will normally hang in an almost vertical plane, overlapping each other, as in Fig. 2 and in a portion of Fig. The links of the chains h 71 are retained upon the portions f of the fasteners, preferably by rings 1', passed through the eyes c after the links have been slipped on over the eyes, which are smaller than the interior of the links. It has been found that rings form the best retaining device, as owing to their shape they will not interfere with the proper action of the chains and slats.

The lower ends of the chains h 7b are at tached to the lowermost slat Z, preferably heavier than the others, the said slat being provided near its ends with two metallic bearing-straps m, through which is passed loosely the cross-rod n of a stretcher-bar, bent as at a, to leave at each end parallel portions or arms 0, adapted each to be pivoted at or near the center of one side of the window-frame. (See Figs. 1 and The slat Z turns upon it when the blind is lifted, as in Fig.1. Projecting inwardly from the center of the cross rod 01 and at right angles thereto is a short lug or pin 02 upon which the slat Z rests when the blind is raised to its highest position, as in Fig. 1, the rod or pin n keeping the said slat in such a position that the slats a will rest upon it and upon one another in a substantially horizontal position, thereby obviating the sagging between the top of the blind and the cross-rod of the stretchcr-bar, due to the flexible connection of the slats.

The pulleys p 1) (shown best in Figs. 9 and 5) are herein represented as attached to the head-block 13 or above the top of the window, each pulley being preferably composed of a frame and an inner plate p between which upon suitable axles are mounted the sheaves s s and 2f 25' 1. the sheaves working inde pendently of each other.

The side chains 71/71. have attached to their upper ends the cords r r respectively, the cord '7' passing around sheave .9 and the cord T, around sheaves t and s, the ends of the cords r r thereafter being brought down and connected to a suitable ring or catch 2. (See Fig. 1.) These adj Listing-cords r 9" enable the blind to be raised or lowered from the top, the blind being shown in Fi 2 as partly let down. Pins are letintothe side of the window-frame, as shown in Fig. 1, over which the ring ,or catch, 2 maybe placed to hold the blind in its raised or its lowered or in an intermediate position.

The cords 0 are attached to the slatZand thence pass upward through the rings '1'. at the inner end of the fasteners 11, to and around the sheaves 8 t and 1' respectively, the ends of the said cords being then brought down and joined similarly to the cords r 0'', butat the opposite side of the window. \Vhen it is desired to use the blind as an awning, the connection of cords r r is pulled down, and the said cords being fast to the slat I will raise thesame and also the connected. stretcher bar, the latter turning upon its pivotal points, the blind taking a position shown in Fig. 1, the intermediate slats a being guided upon the said cords by the rings '1 Pins are also provided, over which the connection of cords r 9' may be placed to hold. the stretcher-bar at different heights.

As shown, the stretcher bar is pivoted slightly below the center of the sides of the window-framc, and the blind therefore may be entirely raised out of the way by pulling upon the lifting-cords r until the stretcher-bar has swung through an arc of substantiallyone hundred and eighty degrees from its lowest position. In its extreme raised position the blind or awning is well protected from the weather and is completely out of the range of view from the window.

A chain 7L3 extends from the top slat to the one next the bottom slat Z and is attached to them and to each intermediate slat by the rings 9 of the fastener c, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 6. The rings g are attached to the upper ed of the slats, so that by pulling down upon the chain 7n the slats will turn upon the portions f of. the fasteners l) as pivots, and can be opened to a greater or less extent at.

the will of the operator, and so held by catch- 02*. That the blind may be perfectly steady when in its partly-raised or its closed positions, a chain 20 maybe attached to one of the parts 0 of the stretcher-bar, passing thence through a staple 4 in the window-frame, the loose end of the said chain being placed over one of several pins, as shown in Fig. 1.

We clain1- 1. In an awning-blind, the combination, with a series of parallel slats, flexible chain-connections therefor, the individual slats being pivotally suspended at their ends only in said chain-connections and provided near their upper edges with rings and fasteners, and pulleys p p to support the lifting and adjusting cords of the blind, of a stretcher-bar pivoted to the window-frame and loosely connected to the lowermost slat, lifting cords or chains attached to said slat and passed loosely through guide-rings of the slats above it to raise the lower end of the blind, and the attached stretcher-bar and adjusting-cords r r, attached to the upper ends of the flexible connection and passed through the said pulleys to raise and lower the blind from the top, substantially as described.

2. In an awning-blind, a head-block and sheaves thereon, a pivoted stretcher-bar, an intermediate series of slats and flexible connections therefor, consisting of chains, each slat being provided at its ends only with projecting fasteners, each extended through and having hearings in one of the links of the said chain-connections to form horizontal pivots for each slat, the links forming bearings for the pivots, and intermediate guide-rings for 3 5 the slats,- combined with the lifting-cords r 7*, attached to the lowermost slat and passed loosely through the guide-rings of the slats above it and around sheaves on the headblock to convert the blind into an awning, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the slat of a blind and a chain, of a fastener consisting of a metallic strip or wire bent at each end to form a prong to enter the slat, and also bent to form an eye and leave a projecting neck beyond the slat to enter alink of the chain, the said link forming a bearing for the neck to operate, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the slat of ablind 50 and a chain, of a fastener consisting of a metallic strip or wire bent at each end to form a prong to enter the slat, and bent to form an eye and leave a projecting neck to enter a link of the chain and rotate therein, and with a retaining device in the said eye to retain the neck in the link, substantially as described. v

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of 60 two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES C. GITTINGS.

WILLIAM J. POHLMAN. GEORGE YAKEL.

Witnesses:

MURRAY HANSON, WILLIAM H. BERRY. 

